


Clear Blue Skies

by lordkrisdemort



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, M/M, Romance, Utopia, Virtual Reality
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:41:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24994837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lordkrisdemort/pseuds/lordkrisdemort
Summary: Chanyeol always wanted a simple life with Baekhyun.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 21
Kudos: 59
Collections: Challenge #4 — Into the Future





	Clear Blue Skies

**Author's Note:**

> Lightly inspired by Sword Art Online and, surprisingly, Animal Crossing :)

Chanyeol always wanted a simple life.

“I woke up before you today.”

He always dreamed of living in a small cottage next to a lake, surrounded by green grass and tall trees, with a small hill across the lake being his only neighbor.

“What did you do while waiting for me?”

“Stare at you.”

He dreamed of waking up to the melodious chirping of the maya birds hanging out on his roof, to the streaks of sunlight shining through the thin curtain, to the sound of Baekhyun breathing next to him on the bed.

“Ooh. I’m flattered. Did you like what you saw?”

“I loved it. I love you.”

He dreamed of saying ‘ _ I love you _ ’ the first thing in the morning. There was a time when they couldn’t say that freely to each other. Now and here, they can even shout it out loud for the world to hear. Trees and beetles aren’t so judgmental.

Thus, when he’s greeted with the sight of grinning Baekhyun the moment he wakes up, he doesn’t let him strut away before giving him wet kisses all over his body. He worships Baekhyun’s skin, the tip of Baekhyun’s fingers, the moles scattered all over him, the small old wound on his left hip; he worships Baekhyun as a whole.

He’s currently living his dreams.

===

Chanyeol always wanted a simple life.

He always dreamed of napping under the sun to the buzzing sound from the beetles, of laying down on the grass with Baekhyun while their eyes would wander around the horizon.

“Do you think the sky is still grey out there?”

Chanyeol tilts his head, finding Baekhyun staring up at the clear blue skies above them. His mind goes blank for a moment. “I think so.” he murmurs. The sky  _ out there _ never got better despite the decrease of factory pollution. Everything is either white or grey, perpendicular lines on smooth surfaces, ninety degree corners and hexagonal patterns. Everything is so monotonous  _ out there _ for the sake of misguided unity.

“No wonder why the sky here is so pretty.” Baekhyun hums. “You must’ve missed it very much.”

Truthfully, the reason the sky here is clear and blue is because Baekhyun loved it a lot. Everything here exists because Baekhyun had once described to him the kind of retirement life he’d like to live, and that description had turned into his own dreams.

Everything here exists because of Baekhyun, including him.

===

Chanyeol always wanted a simple life.

He always dreamed of spending the entire night sitting next to the lake, feet dipping into the water, listening to Baekhyun talking about theories of how the universe works.

He dreamed of just existing with Baekhyun by his side.

“Is it the time for you to go?”

Baekhyun had asked him this a few times already. And back then, he’d always answer, ‘ _ not today _ ’, ‘ _ not so soon _ ’, ‘ _ I don’t think so _ ’.

This time, he doesn’t answer, because he himself doesn’t want to admit what’s going to happen.

“You’ve been here for too long, haven’t you?” Baekhyun finally spares a moment to look at him. “You can’t be here forever.”

_ Why can’t I? _ He wants to ask Baekhyun, ask himself, ask the world. Why can’t he stay when he’s the happiest here? Why can’t he be selfish when he’s been the victim of others’ selfishness his whole life?

_ That’s not how it works. _ That’s the answer. Anyone would give him that. It’s why he doesn’t ask anymore; he already knows.

“I don’t want to leave you.”

“Chanyeol,” his lover chuckles, “I left you first, remember?”

He does. He remembers it as if it happened yesterday. He remembers finding out about the news from his colleague and opening countless news sites to confirm it. ‘ _ South Korean’s Top Idol Byun Baekhyun Died at 28 _ .’ ‘ _ The Tragic End of Byun Baekhyun; From Drug Use to Struggles With Alcohol _ ’.

‘ _ Byun Baekhyun (1992-2020) _ .’

He remembers the sound of his world crumbling down.

“Now’s your turn. You should go.”

Chanyeol can only stare back into Baekhyun’s eyes, having the twinkle of their own. “I haven’t had much time with you.”

“No one has enough time with their loved ones, anyway. Isn’t that what makes every moment spent together so meaningful?” The smile on Baekhyun’s lips is sweet, warm, a cure to his breaking heart. “We spend as many moments together as possible, so by the time the farewell comes, we’ll say goodbye with no regrets.”

Goodbye.

Even after forty years, he still can’t say it to Baekhyun.

“Isn’t that why you came here? To tell me goodbye with no regrets.”

He knows. The only reason he’s here is that he just won’t leave even though his physical body has given up since long ago. He’s only causing trouble to the people out there, only burdening everyone around him. He should really go now.

At least he had a taste of a simple life with Baekhyun. One he couldn’t give Baekhyun four decades ago. One they couldn’t have because their worlds were too different to collide.

But even then, Baekhyun was the reason he stayed alive.

“Goodbye, Chanyeol.”

And even now, Baekhyun is the reason he wants to stay alive.

But his time has come, and this time, he can have a proper farewell with Baekhyun.

“Goodbye, Baekhyun.”

===

‘World’s Renowned Scientist Park Chanyeol Died at 68’

‘After 21 months in comatose state, South Korea’s best scientist Park Chanyeol died on Monday, June 14th 2060.’

‘Professor Park Chanyeol was the founder and main creator of Somnium, the world's beloved virtual reality program where people’s consciousness could create a world of their own and visit others. Prof. Park’s consciousness itself was kept in Somnium during his comatose state while doctors and scientists alike attempted to find ways to cure his rare illness. However, after 21 months of battle, the professor decided to rest eternally.’

‘In his biography, Prof. Park expressed how he always wanted a simple life.’

* * *


End file.
